A day in the life of a TV producer who logs a grueling 12-hour shift — and still makes time to bask in the 'majesty of New York'

• Colleen King is an MSNBC executive producer who's worked on shows such as "Hardball" and "Morning Joe." Today, she works on "The 11th Hour."
• Her typical workday runs from noon to midnight and is jam-packed.
• She keeps things lively by dispensing candy to coworkers and remembering to stop and take in the New York City views every so often.

Colleen King has been at MSNBC for more than 14 years, during which time she's worked on shows such as "Hardball" and "Morning Joe."

Today, King is an executive producer on "The 11th Hour," overseeing a team of senior producers and booking producers. Part of her job is figuring out which stories to cover and guests to bring on.

Host Brian Williams covers news and politics, like the recent trial of Paul Manafort. The show airs at 11 pm (hence its name), so King's day doesn't wrap up until just after midnight.

"The 11th Hour" is shot within NBC Studios at the world-famous Rockefeller Center, which offers panoramic views of iconic buildings like St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Of her unusual grind, King said, "I’ve worked nearly every schedule in TV — from weekends to daytimes to overnights. You find a new rhythm on each shift. In this case, the hours are long, but the days are never boring."

Here's what a typical workday looks like for King.

Colleen King is an executive producer on MSNBC's "The 11th Hour." Her typical workday runs from noon to midnight.

King is up and awake long after coworkers have gone home. "This is the only time Rockefeller Plaza is quiet," she said. "It’s just me and the Zamboni driver, Nelson Corporan, making one last lap of the ice for the night to clean the way for morning skaters. Imagine a job where you get to smooth out all your imperfections at the end of the day!"

King wakes up around 8:30 am. That's when she does her errands, like stopping at the dry cleaners, post office, and pharmacy. She also treats herself to a visit to the Three Lives Bookstore, which she described as "a tiny little shop that restores your faith in hard-copy books. It’s one of those quaint West Village corners that appear out of a movie set — you almost expect Hugh Grant to be the store manager."